Hatch-door



UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE.

JOHN J. MCBRIDE, OF RIDGEFIELD PARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO HENRY I.COE, OF LOUIS, MISSOURI.

HATCH-DOOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 467,186, dated January19, 1892.

Application filed December 13, 1890. Serial No. 374,576. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN JAMES MCBRIDE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ridgefield Park, in the county of Bergen and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hatch-Doors, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to hatch-doors which are used principally inconnection with freight-elevators for closing the hatches automaticallyat all times, except at the moment of passage of the cab through eachfloor, whereby not only is the danger of accident lessened, but thespread of fires from floor to.

fioor due to the rush of air through the elevator-shaft is impeded.

It is customary to open hatch-doors by means actuated from the cab. Thisaction is exceedingly rapid therefor, andthe result is the subjection ofthe'door to sudden shocks and slams, which, if not eased in some way,would not only quickly destroy the door, but become unbearably noisy,especially in closed in shafts, where the vibration makes it desirableto prevent even slight noise.

Hitherto various expedients have been devised for easing the slam bymeansof springs and counter-weights; but so far there has been devisednothing which was applicable to all .cases which might arise and whichwould perfectly arrest the door at both limits of its movement withoutshock or noise.

My invention consists in the novel application to this purpose ofair-cushions or dashpots. Such air-cushions or dash-pots have been, I amaware, used before my invention in various mechanical contrivances; but,so far as I know, no one has ever devised aplan whereby they can besuccessfullyapplied for preventing the slam of hatch-doors. These doorsusually hinge Vertically, and two slams very different in character haveto be overcome, one when the door is falling down with its whole weightto close the hatch and the other when it is thrown back to verticalposition when struck by the cab.

The above will indicate generally the subject of my invention, whichfurther includes 4. 5 are dash-pots. The former open at top and thelatter at bottom, and both have in I their closed ends air-inlets G 6and air-vent 7, the latter closed to any extent desired by a set-screw8, having customary graduatinggroove 9. A flexible valve 10, fixed tothe closed end of the dash-pot, overlaps the airinlets 6, but does notobstruct the entrance tovent 7. These dash-pots are placed in line witheach other, and, owingto the smallamount of space usually at the commandof the manufacturer of hatch-doors, they are usually arrangedvertically, one above the other, being .provided with brackets 11, whichare screwed or bolted to the post 3.

12 is a plunger-rod sliding in bearings in guide-hangers 13 14, thelatter of which has a goose-neck fixed to the post 3. rod bearsat eachenda plunger 15, at such distance apart that one will operate inthelower dash-pot & when the door 1 is nearly closed and the other in theupper dash-pot 5 when the door reaches a nearly vertical position overits hinges. The door 1 being connected to the rod 12, when the former isopened by any means it will allow the said rod and cause the upperplunger to enter the dash-pot 5, checking the movement of the door as itreaches a vertical position. The air slowly issues from the vent 7 asthe door attains a position at rest over its hinges. When the car haspassed and the door-falls, the upper plunger will be pulleddown out ofthe upper dash-pot, the air entering the latter freely through theair-inlets 6 6, and the lower plunger will enter dash-pot 4:, cushioningthe descent ot' the door in a well-known manner.

The said My arrangement for connecting the door to the rod 12 is such asto give the cab control of the door until it has thrown the latterentirely back out of position. The door 1 is connected to the rod 12 byrods 16 16, whose connections at each end are hinged ones and which areranged one on each side of the rod 12, so as to prevent torsionaleffect. A horizontal arm 17 is interposed between the upper ends of rods16 16 and the rod 12, so as to throw the connection of the rod 16considerably to the rear of the rod 12. Thus when the rod 12 reaches itsuppermost position and the door 1 comes nearly vertical the rods 16,owing to their inclination, will still exert an eifective pull on thedoor instead of tending simply to pull the door off its hinges, whichwould be the case if their connection with the door and to the rod 12were nearly in the same plane as the door-hinges. The arm 17 isadjustable on the rod 12, and may be fixed by screws 18 at a pointnecessary to regulate the entrance of the plungers into their respectivedash-pots.

19 is the lever, arranged to be struck by the cab-bow when the latter isdescending to open the door and to case its closure by traveling overthe under cab-bow when the cab is ascending. It has an arm 20, connectedby rod 21,bent at 22 to clear the upper dash-pot and plunger and hingedat its lower end to the arm 17. The connection of the door-operatinglever 19 with the door is thus made by way of the door-cushioningmechanism.

The goose-neck 14 permits the use of a straight rod 16 between the rod12 and the supporting-post 3; but, if desired, the said rods 16 may bebentto avoid bracket 14: where the parts are contracted in size tooccupy limited room.

The door 1 is normally closed.

Means for keeping the dirt and dust out of i the lower (lash-pot l,which will be effected while the door is closed, will thereforesufficiently prevent the fouling of the air-passages in said dash-pot. Itherefore providea removable cover 23 for the lower dash-pot, throughwhich the rod 12 slides freely, and which is arrested by the top of thedash-pot l when the plunger 15 enters the latter, but which is liftedwith said plunger when the latter leaves the dash-pot, as shown in Fig.II.

Instead of using two distinct rods 16, I may use one rod, Simply forkingit to surround the rod 12.

Instead of having the dash-pots fixed, as here shown, they may becarried by the rod 12, and the plungers may be fixed, this involving asimple inversion of the parts.

Usual or any desired connterbalancii'ig devices (not shown) for the doorare employed.

The weight of the mechanism is so disposed that when the door is invertical open position the downward pressure on arm 17 will tend tothrow the door off of the perpendicular, so thatit will close withoutthe assistance of a spring.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as newtherein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination, with ahatch and a door hinged to the hatch, of thesupport, hangers secured to the support, a rod sliding in the hangers,connecting device between the door and the sliding rod, and a plungerand a dashpot located at the lower end of the sliding rod, substantiallyas described.

2. The combination, with a hatch and a door hinged to the hatch, of thesupport, hangers secured to the support, a rod sliding in the hangers,connecting device between the door and the sliding rod, the bracketssecured to the support, dash-pots secured to the brackets, and plungerssecured to the ends of the sliding rod, substantially as described.

The combination, with a hatch and a door hinged to the hatch, of asupport, hangers secured to the support, a rod sliding in the hangers,connecting device between the door and the sliding rod, the ,bracketssecured to the support, dash-pots secured to the brackets, plunger-ssecured to the ends of the slid ing rod, the lever having an arm, and arod coupling the arm to the connecting device, substantially asdescribed.

l. The combination of the hinged l1atchdoor 1, the dash-pot, a slidingrod 12, a plunger thereon adapted to enter said dash-pot, and hingedrods connecting said rod 12 with said door, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of hinged hatch-door 1, rod 12, having arm 17, aplunger, a dash-pot, and the rods 16, connectingthe arm 17 to the door1, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of the door 1, the plunger, plunger-rod, thedash-pot, the rods connecting the plunger-rod to the door, and a leveradapted to be operated by the cab, connected to said plunger-rod foropening the door and easing its ascent, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of the door 1, the dash pot 1, open at top and havingsuitable inlets, vent, and valve, the dash-pot 5 in line therewith, openat bottom and having similar inlets, vent, and valve, the plunger-rodhaving at each end a plunger adapted to enter=said dash-pots at oppositeextremities of its movement, and connections between said plunger rodand door, substantially as set forth.

' 8. The combination of the door 1, the dashpots at 5, the plunger-rod12, having plungers 15, the arm 17, adjustable on said rod 12, and therods 16, hinged to said arm 17 and to the door 1, substantially as setforth.

9. The combination of the open-top dashpot 4:, the plunger-rod 12, andthe cover 23, adapted to be lifted from the dash-pot as the pluggcrleaves the latter, substantially as set ort 1.

10. The combination of the hinged hatchdoor, the door-operating lever,the sliding rod connected to the door, the arm on the sliding rod, andthe rod connected to the arm and to the lever, substantially as setforth.

' 11. The combination of a hatch-door, a dashpot, a sliding rod having aplunger fitting the dash-pot, and an arm, connection between thehatch-door and the outer end of the arm, the lever having an arm, andthe rod connected at its upper end to the arm of the lever and at itslower end to the arm of the sliding rod, substantially as described.

12. The combination of a hatch-door, a dashpot, a sliding rod having aplunger fitting in I 5 the dash pot, and an arm, rigid rods connected tothe hatch-door and to the outer end of the arm, the lever having an arm,and the rod connected at its upper end to the arm of the lever and atits lower end to the arm of the 20 sliding rod, substantially asdescribed.

JOHN J. MCBRIDE. Witnesses:

HARRY E. KNIGHT, MAZIE V. BIDGOOD.

